A thin-film layer of a ferroelectric material, such as a perovskite, for example, BaTiO3, can be grown directly upon a semiconductor-based material, such as silicon or other Group III–V, Group IV or Group II–VI materials, to form a monolithic structure that possesses both semiconductor and ferroelectric properties. The ferroelectric material and silicon substrate can be used as an active waveguide material in a silicon-based device for use in communication systems. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,429, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The device can be an electro-optic device.
In general, high-speed optical communications requires optical modulation at radio frequencies (RF). Materials with a high electro-optic (E-O) coefficient can be of great interest for such applications, as these materials can form devices having smaller dimensions and lower operating voltages.